Gingerbread cake

7 December 2010

Every year when I make gingerbread, the kids sniff their way into the kitchen looking for little men. But to me gingerbread is not a cookie – it’s a moist, tingly, richly flavored cake. I crave it every December.

I thought it was going to be so easy to share this recipe, a favorite for many years from Instant Gratification, by Lauren Chattman. But my usually reliable recipe ended up looking like this:

Apparently even gingerbread can get depressed during holiday season.

In my vague memories I think I may have had this deflated-center issue before, but since the gingerbread tasted good anyway, I probably wasn’t that concerned. But if I’m passing along a recipe, I want to know for certain that it works every time. Time to pull out my ingredients again.

Round 2: I try a highly rated recipe from allrecipes.com that I made as my holiday gift for neighbors last year when I’d left my regular recipe in California. Everyone loved it then, and I know it didn’t come out with a crater in the middle.

The result: Even depressed, my regular gingerbread is better – a much lighter crumb and a cleaner ginger taste. Looks like I’m going to need more molasses.

Round 3: As luck would have it, the current issue of Cook’s Illustrated features “Classic Gingerbread Cake.” The lead sentence? “This snack cakeâ€™s moist, tender crumb typically comes at a price: a gummy, sunken center.” Bingo.

Cook’s Illustrated found that an undermixed batter contributes to fallen cake. And in fact Lauren Chattman’s original recipe calls for mixing the gingerbread in a food processor, whereas I mix by hand. How to know how much mixing is enough, especially with so many different mixing methods? There has to be a more reliable way to make sure the cake won’t fall. I decide to add a bit of heft by increasing flour a 1/4 cup and using a whole egg instead of just the yolk (the white part of the egg adds structure; the yolk adds richness).

The result: The center holds up nice and firm…but the cake loses some of its delicate tenderness. Depressed gingerbread is still better.

Round 4: I’m hoping egg white will give enough support to the batter without the heaviness of the extra flour. So back to the original recipe, with whole egg instead of egg yolk. And even though it compromises the controlled experiment, I also substitute oil for butter. Cook’s Illustrated thought that the neutral taste of oil let the spice flavors come through more clearly, and I think about my favorite chocolate cake, in which the use of oil allows for a deeper chocolate taste than recipes with butter.

The result: Again, the center holds up beautifully. Crumb is tender and moist, virtually identical to the original. I don’t find a huge difference between butter and oil, but it may be my taste buds are burned out from all the ginger. I think I’ll go with the oil version on Cook’s Illustrated‘s recommendation – also since it makes the recipe even easier. (I didn’t try the Cook’s Illustrated gingerbread recipe – no doubt delicious – which with Guinness and crystallized ginger goes beyond the simple recipe I’m looking for here.)

So ends my unexpected turn as a test kitchen. Good thing we have plenty of friends and family to take all this gingerbread. I think I’ve had plenty of tingle to keep my taste buds satisfied until next year.

Have you eve tried substituting coffee or stout beer for the water? My grandmother made gingerbread with coffee – and oleo – 🙂 and I’ve been trying to find her recipe with no luck. The one here is very similar.

hi kitty – i thought i’d replied to this weeks ago on my phone, but i don’t see it. sorry! hope you were able to try the gingerbread cake – i think coffee or stout beer would work too. let me know if you try it!

Omg! Top notch interchange… my dad used to make a really dry gingerbread. Not good eats….but this is simple, classic, amazing, and best uses no expensive ingredients. .I.e. butter. Honey I’m going to add this to my lineup you make me look like an effortless gourmet xoxoxoxoxo

Brilliant! Made 2 cakes and both were identical and perfect! Have to make around 20 big cakes for a charity event and these were really easy!
BTW – any idea for a topping that will stop folk from thinking it’s a chocolate cake??

hi gillian – i love that cake so much! i usually just put powdered sugar over. but you are so right that it does look dark like chocolate cake. crystallized ginger is probably not widely recognized, so that’s not a good topping either. i think a little card on the table is your best bet. good luck!

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chinese grandma is a philosophy about food, family, health and practicality inspired by old-school grandmas everywhere. It's about cooking good food, living a good life, and sharing lessons learned. More about me...